Polycom®, the Polycom logo design, and ViewStation® are registered trademarks of Polycom Inc. ARENA™,
Global Management System™, PathNavigator™, Polycom OneDial™, and Visual Concert™ are trademarks of
Polycom, Inc. in the United States and v arious oth er countries.
Internet Explorer™, NetMeeting®, Windows®, and Windows NT® are either registered trademarks or
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
Intel®, Pentium®, and Celeron® are registered trademarks and TeamStation™ is a trademark of Intel
Corporation.
Adobe® Acrobat® is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated.
ADTRAN® is a registered trademark of ADTRAN, Inc.
QuickTime™ is a trademark of Apple Computer , Inc.
Netscape® Navigator® is a registered trademark of Netscape Communications Corporation.
IP/TV® is a registered trademark of Cisco Systems, Inc.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Every effort has been made to ensure that the
information in this manual is accurate. Polycom, Inc. is not responsible for printin g or clerical errors. Information
in this document is subject to change without notice.
Patent Information
The accompanying product is protected by one or more U.S. and foreign patents and patents pending held by
Polycom, Inc.
2003 Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved.
olycom Inc.
750 Willow Road
leasanton, CA 94588-2708
SA
o part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
or any purpose, without the express written permission of Polycom, Inc. Under the law, reproducing includes
ranslating into another language or format.
s between the parties, Polycom, Inc. retains title to, and ownership of, all proprietary rights with respect to the
oftware contained within its products. The software is protected by United St ates copyright laws and international
reaty provision. Therefore, you must treat the software like any other copyrighted material (e.g. a book or sound
ecording).
very effort has been made to ensure that the information in this manual is accurate. Polycom, Inc. is not
This document describes the CGI-based ViewStation EX,
ViewStation FX, and VS4000 API (Application Programming
Interface).
This API is a set of commands implemented within the shell. The
commands are available for advanced users who want to automate
some of the control features of the ViewStation EX, ViewStation FX,
and VS4000 systems. This API can be used via a Telnet session or
via the RS-232 interface.
It is presumed that users are familiar with Web programming,
specifically the CGI POST command and its use from the application
programming language of their choice.
ViewStation EX, ViewStation FX, and VS4000 API Guide
What’s New in Release 5.0?
The following table lists the major changes for Release 5.0.
Type of
Command
systemallowmixedcallsnew command
audioqualityg7221new command
camera near move
CommandChange
When you are not in a
call: All camera near move commands need
to be preceded by a
button near command.
display tmonremoved
display multiwaymoderemoved
displaygraphicsnew command
enablesnapshotsnew command
graphicsmonitorfxvganew command
graphicsmonitortvnew command
graphicsmonitorvisualconcertnew command
maxgabinternationalcallspeednew command
maxgabinternetcallspeednew command
sendonlypreferredaliasnew command
sleepnew command
usepathnavigatornew command
wakenew command
V.3 5all V.35 commandsAll V.35 commands can
also be used to configure
the RS-449, RS-530, and
RS-366 serial interfaces.
2www.polycom.com
ViewStation EX, ViewStation FX, and VS4000 API Guide
Accessing the API Interface
Using Telnet
To start a Telnet session from Windows:
1. From your computer desktop, click Start and Run.
2. In the Run window, enter the following information in the Open
field:
telnet <system IP address> 24
Note Telneting to port 24 keeps the user from seeing all the
debug outputs which can be extensive and inconvenient.
3. Click OK. The Telnet window appears, and a welcome message
is displayed (Ex: ''Hi, My name is: John_System''). This
message is followed by information specific to your system.
4. You are now in an active Telnet session. To display the list of
available API commands, type help.
To start a Telnet session from MS-DOS:
1. Start an MS-DOS session on your PC and type:
telnet <system IP address> 24
2. Press the Enter key. A welcome message is displayed (Ex: ''Hi,
My name is: John_System''). This message is followed by
information specific to your system.
3. You are now in an active Telnet session. To display the list of
available API commands, type help.
Using the RS-232 Interface
Connecting the Serial Cable
VS4000
The RS-232 serial cable has a 9-pin DB-9 connector on both ends.
It is used to connect the VS4000 system to a terminal or another
communications device. To connect your PC to the VS4000 system:
ViewStation EX, ViewStation FX, and VS4000 API Guide
1. Locate the RS-232 serial cable (DB9-to-DB9 straight through).
2. Connect one end of the cable to the serial port of your PC.
3. Connect the other end to the RS-232 serial port on the back
panel of the VS4000 system.
ViewStation EX and ViewStation FX
Connect your PC to the ViewStation EX or FX system as follows:
1. Locate the RS-232 serial cable (DB9-to-8-pin mini-DIN).
2. Connect the 9-pin DB-9 connector to the serial port of your PC.
3. Plug in the 8-pin mini-DIN connector to the RS-232 port on the
back panel of the system.
Starting a Communications Session
Several communications programs are available to access the
RS-232 interface. The following explains how to start a
HyperTerminal session on your PC.
1. From your PC desktop, select Start>Programs>Accessories>
Communications>HyperTerminal.
2. In the Connection Description window, enter a Name. Select
an icon. Click OK.
3. In the Connect To window, from the Connect Using list, select
the proper comport (usually com1). Click OK.
4. In the Com1 Properties window, under Port Settings, select
the following settings:
•Bits per second=should match that of the system (default is
9600)
•Data bit=8
•Parity=none
•Stop bits=1
•Flow control=should match the system’s. None is the
default. Some third-party control panels may require to be
set to Hardware.
5. Click OK.
Note A carriage return is required before an RS-232
communications session with a system can proceed.
4www.polycom.com
ViewStation EX, ViewStation FX, and VS4000 API Guide
RS-232 Interface Information
The following provides additional information about the ViewStation
EX, ViewStation FX, and VS4000 systems’ RS-232 interface.
RS-232 User Interface Screen
The RS-232 user interface screen is used to set the baud rate and
the modes for the serial port on the back of the system.
To access the RS-232 screen on your system, select System
Info>Admin Setup>Software/Hardware>
RS-232.
On the RS-232 screen, you can configure the Baud Rate, the
RS-232 Mode and the Flow Control options.
Baud Rate
The following baud rates are supported by the RS-232 port on the
ViewStation EX, ViewStation FX, and the VS4000 system:
•1200
•2400
•9600
•14400
•19200
•38400
•57600
•115200
RS-232 Modes
The RS-232 port on the ViewStation EX, ViewStation FX, and the
VS4000 system supports two modes: Control and Pass-Thru.
In Control Mode, a device (for example, a PC) connected to the
RS-232 port can control the system using the Remote Control API.
In Pass-Thru Mode, the operational modes of both endpoints’
RS-232 ports depend on the port configuration of each endpoint.
Thus, two operational situations might arise:
ViewStation EX, ViewStation FX, and VS4000 API Guide
•Pass-Thru Mode to Pass-Thru Mode: Both endpoints are set to
Pass-Thru Mode.
•Pass-Thru Mode to Control Mode: The near site is set to
Pass-Thru Mode and the far site is set to Control Mode.
Operational Modes: The following information describes
operational modes in more detail.
•Pass-Thru Mode to Pass-Thru Mode—Two stations set to
Pass-Thru Mode behave essentially as a null-modem between
their respective externally connected devices. These two
stations can be two ViewStation EX systems, two ViewStation
FX systems, two VS4000 systems, or one ViewStation EX
system and one ViewStation FX or VS4000 system.
The RS-232 port is used as a data channel over an H.320 video
call. Data received from the RS-232 port on the near-end
system is pushed through the call to the far-end endpoint and
then transmitted to the endpoint’s RS-232 port. Similarly, data
from the far-end endpoint is transmitted back to the near-end
system (through the H.320 call) and then transmitted to the
near-end RS-232 port.
The data channel speed is dynamically allocated. The maximum
data flow rate is based on the bandwidth of the call.
Because data throughput has priority over video throughput,
video bandwidth may be restricted to support data
requirements. Audio is not compromised.
Pass-Thru Mode is a proprietary feature that is only supported
when both endpoints are either ViewStation EX, ViewStation
FX, or VS4000 systems.
The RS-232 port only supports data Pass-Thru in H.320 mode
(ISDN or V.35/RS-449/RS-530/RS-366/RS-366). Data
Pass-Thru in an H.323 (IP) video call or multipoint call is not
supported, as alternative file transfer methods such as ftp or
Telnet are widely available.
Note In Pass-Thru mode, both local and remote stations
need to be set to the same data rate.
•Pass-Thru Mode to Control Mode—If the near site is set to
Pass-Thru Mode, but the far site is set to Control Mode, then the
device connected to the near site RS-232 port can be used to
6www.polycom.com
Flow Control
ViewStation EX, ViewStation FX, and VS4000 API Guide
control the far site system, using the far site’s Command Line
Interface.
The following table summarizes the port operation based on the
RS-232 mode configured by each endpoint.
Near-Side ModeFar-Side ModeResulting Operation
ControlN/ANear-side CLI (Com-
mand Line Interface)
Pass-ThruControlThe near-side controls
the CLI of the far side
Pass-ThruPass-ThruThe data is passed in
full-duplex mode from
the near-side RS-232
port to the far-side
RS-232 port
The system support hardware flow control. Users should make sure
that hardware flow control settings are consistent between the
systems and the external devices on both sides of the connection.
ViewStation EX, ViewStation FX, and VS4000 API Guide
RS-232 Serial Cable Pinout and Connections (ViewStation
EX and FX)
The RS-232 serial cable has a 9-pin DB-9 connector on one end and
an 8-pin mini-DIN connector on the other end. It is used to connect
the ViewStation EX or ViewStation FX to a terminal or another
communications device.
Pin NumberFunction
1 - DCDData Carrier Detect
2 - RXReceive
3 - TXTransmit
4 - DTRData Terminal Ready
5 - GNDGround
6 - DSRData Set Ready
7 - RTSReady to Send
8 - CTSClear to Send
9 - RIThis pin is not used.
8www.polycom.com
ViewStation EX, ViewStation FX, and VS4000 API Guide
RS-232 Serial Cable Pinout and Connections (VS4000)
The RS-232 serial cable has a 9-pin DB-9 connector on both ends.
It is used to connect the VS4000 to a terminal or another
communications device.
ViewStation EX, ViewStation FX, and VS4000 API Guide
Status Display
The call status can be displayed in a number of ways. The display
call status command shows table of current calls.
Using the “listen” or “dial” Command
To display real-time status on individual B channels
(incoming/outgoing calls), either register the terminal session with
the listen command or start an outbound call with the dial
command. These two commands will cause the system to re-direct
the B channel status messages to the session which has issued one
of these two commands. For example, if the RS-232 device issues
a dial or listen command, then call status is directed to the RS-232
port; if a later session on a Telnet port issues a dial or listen
command, then call status is also directed to that Telnet port.
B Channel Status Message Example
Following is an output example for B channel status messages,
where:
cs indicates call status for one B channel.
RINGING indicates a ring-in or ring-out and is equivalent
to a 25% blue sphere on the graphical user
interface.
CONNECTED is equivalent to a 50% yellow sphere.
BONDING indicates the bonding protocol is operational on
the channel and is equivalent to a 75% orange
sphere.
ViewStation EX, ViewStation FX, and VS4000 API Guide
Syntax Summary
The following syntactic notation is used for the API shell control
commands.
Note All defined commands are case sensitive.
<x> A required parameter. The text between the angled
[x] An optional parameter. As with required parameters,
brackets is one or more parameter(s) that can occur at the
specified point in the command. Multiple parameters are
listed separated by the “|” character (pipe) which is a
notational shortcut for "or.” If the text between the angled
brackets is in parenthesis, then it is a user comment of the
expected parameter, rather than an enumeration of the
valid parameters.
Example
allowdialing <yes|no|get>
optional parameters may be presented with a '|' character
(pipe) to indicate choices.
Example
gabpassword <set|get> ["password"]
.. Indicates a range of values.
Example
displaybolt <n|{0..100}>
"x" String parameters to be supplied by the user are denoted
with quoted strings (example: “symbol”). In general,
parameters are supplied from a set of defined string
values that are specifically enumerated. These values are
command specific. Note: a quoted string parameter can
contain any value.
Example
The command gabpassword <set|get> ["password"]
requires that the user supply the string parameter
password as shown in the following example:
ViewStation EX, ViewStation FX, and VS4000 API Guide
If the string parameter contains a compound name or
spaces, use quotation marks, as in the following
examples:
gabpassword set "My FX Password"
gabpassword set "111 222 333"
{a..b} A number ranging from a to b.
About the “get” Subcommand
In most cases, the get subcommand returns the command name
and the current setting if one has been set.
Example 1
gmscountry get
Response
gmscountry france
The current setting for the command gmscountry is france.
Example 2
gmscountry get
Response
gmscountry <empty>
The current setting for the command gmscountry is <empty>
meaning that no parameter has been set.
14www.polycom.com
ViewStation EX, ViewStation FX, and VS4000 API Guide
System Commands
This section describes each shell command and its parameters. All
commands are listed with their parameters spelled out.
!
!<“str”|{1..64}>
Description
This command allows you to execute a previously used command
starting with a specific number or letter from the history list. For more
information about the history list, refer to history.
strExecutes the last command that begins with the
1..64Range of command entries in the history list. Executes
specified str from the history list.
the specified Nth command in the history list.
Note There is no space between the ! command and the following
parameter (for example, !gat or !5 are correct. ! gat is
incorrect).
Example
The following is a Telnet session sample:
->gatewaynumber set 123456789
gatewaynumber 123456789
restart system for changes to take effect. restart
now? <y,n>
->hangup video
hanging up video call
->history
1 gatewaynumber set 123456789
2 hangup video
3 history
Consequently, each of the following !<letter or number> commands
execute the command and print its output from the history list.
ViewStation EX, ViewStation FX, and VS4000 API Guide
gatewaynumber set 123456789
gatewaynumber 123456789
restart system for changes to take effect. restart
now? <y,n>
->!2
hangup video
hanging up video call
->!h
hangup video
hanging up video call
->!hi
history
1 gatewaynumber set 123456789
2 hangup video
3 history
4 gatewaynumber set 123456789
5 hangup video
6 hangup video
7 history
->!gat
gatewaynumber set 123456789
gatewaynumber 123456789
restart system for changes to take effect. restart
now? <y,n>
->history
1 gatewaynumber set 123456789
2 hangup video
3 history
4 gatewaynumber set 123456789
5 hangup video
6 hangup video
7 history
8 gatewaynumber set 123456789
9 history
abk
abk <batch|all|letter|range>
Subcommands
abk batch <{0..59}>
16www.polycom.com
ViewStation EX, ViewStation FX, and VS4000 API Guide
abk all
abk letter <{a..z}>
abk range <{a..b}>
Description
This command displays local Address Book entries.
batchDisplays a batch of 10 records. The maximum number
of batches that can be displayed is 59.
allDisplays all the records in the Address Book.
letterDisplays entries beginning with the letter specified from
the range {a..z}.
rangeDisplays local Address Book entries numbered a
through b. Requires a parameter from {a..b}.
a..zValid characters are: -, _, /, ;, @, ,, ., \, 0 through 9, a
through z.
a..bIntegers specifying a range of local entries.
Examples
abk batch 0
Displays records 0 through 9.
abk range 2 8
Displays Address Book entries 2 through 8.
adminpassword
adminpassword <set|get> ["password"]
adminpassword set ["password"]
adminpassword set
adminpassword get
Description
This command is used to set the administrator password.
ViewStation EX, ViewStation FX, and VS4000 API Guide
Note This command cannot be accessed through the RS-232
port.
set Sets the password used for remote management of the
system if followed by the password parameter. If you
want to erase the current setting, omit the password
parameter. The system must have an admin password
set before this command works.
get Displays the current admin password.
password Valid characters are: a through z (lower and
uppercase), -, _, @, /, ;, ,, ., \, 0 through 9. The length is
limited to 10 characters.
Note Use quotation marks around a compound name or strings
containing spaces (Ex: “united states” or “111 222 333”).
Examples
adminpassword set MyFXpsswd
adminpassword set “EX 2003“
advnetstats
User Interface Screen Location
System Info>Admin Setup>Security: Admin Password
advnetstats [{0..2}]
advnetstats
Description
This command is used to get advanced network statistics for each
call.
0..2 Range of selectable calls in a multipoint call (maximum
number of concurrent calls=3, where 0 is call #1, 1 is
call #2, and 2 is call #3). Select a number from this
range to specify a remote site call for which you want to
obtain advanced network statistics.
18www.polycom.com
ViewStation EX, ViewStation FX, and VS4000 API Guide
This command enables or disables the Allow Address Book
Changes option. If this option is enabled, the user has access to the
New, Edit, and Delete icons in the Address Book screen.
yesEnables the Allow Address Book Changes option.
noDisables the Allow Address Book Changes option.
getDisplays the current setting (yes or no).
Example
allowabkchanges get
User Interface Screen Location
System Info>Admin Setup>General Setup (page 2-Next): Allow
Address Book Changes
20www.polycom.com
allowdialing
ViewStation EX, ViewStation FX, and VS4000 API Guide
allowdialing <yes|no|get>
Description
This command enables or disables the Allow Dialing option.
yesAllows users to place calls.
noDisables dialing. Your system can only receive calls.
getDisplays the current setting (yes or no).
Example
allowdialing get
User Interface Screen Location
System Info>Admin Setup>General Setup: Allow Dialing
allowmixedcalls
allowmixedcalls <yes|no|get>
Description
This command allows the administrator to disable the ability to place
or received mixed-protocol (IP and ISDN), multipoint calls for
security reasons.
Note The option Allow H.320 and H.323 Mixed Calls is only
visible on screen if the the ISDN Video Calls (H.320) option
has been enabled on the Call Preferences screen.
ViewStation EX, ViewStation FX, and VS4000 API Guide
Example
allowmixedcalls yes
User Interface Screen Location
System Info>Admin Setup>Video Network > Call Preferences: Allow
H.320 and H.323 Mixed Calls
allowremotemon
allowremotemon <get>
Description
This command displays the current state of the Allow Remote
Monitoring option.
getDisplays the current setting (yes or no).
Example
allowremotemon get
User Interface Screen Location
System Info>User Setup: Allow Remote Monitoring
allowusersetup
allowusersetup <yes|no|get>
Description
This command enables or disables the User Setup icon on the
System Information screen of the user interface, thus allowing or
preventing access to the User Setup screen. This option is useful to
prevent users from changing the User Setup functions.
yesEnables the User Setup option.
noDisables the User Setup option.
getDisplays the current setting (yes or no).
22www.polycom.com
Loading...
+ 194 hidden pages
You need points to download manuals.
1 point = 1 manual.
You can buy points or you can get point for every manual you upload.